Soak the tor dal in water for 30 minutes. Wash and drain.
Transfer the dal to your pressure cooker.
Slit the green chilies lengthwise and tip them in.
Pour in the water and close the lid.
Break the dry chilies each into 2 or 3 pieces and set aside.
Pull the curry leaves off their sprig and put aside.
Chop the coriander leaves roughly to pieces and set aside.
To cook:
Set the pressure cooker on high heat.
As soon as you hear the first whistle, turn down the heat and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Switch off the heat and let cool naturally. This will give the dal enough time to cook to perfection.
As soon as the steam has subsided fully, open the lid and transfer the contents to a thick bottomed vessel.
Tip in the salt and set the vessel on high heat. Stir occasionally.
As soon as the dal comes to a boil, tip in the chopped coriander leaves. Stir well and switch off the heat. Cover with a lid to trap the flavors.
Set a skillet on low heat. Pour in the coconut oil and the ghee (vegans, see note 1). Tip in the mustard seeds.
As soon as the mustard seeds are about to finish popping, throw in the curry leaves, quickly followed by the dry chilies.
Stir once and tip in the asafoetida powder. Stir and switch off the heat. Pour the contents into the curry vessel and stir thoroughly.
Your delicious, fragrant, mouthwatering dali toye is ready to serve. Serve hot with a pile of steaming hot rice or with chappatis, puris, soyyea polos, savory bubboos, rice noodles or with freshly baked bread.
If you are a dal lover, just enjoy a bowl of hot dali toye by itself. If you are a ghee lover, pour in an extra spoonful of ghee over your rice followed by hot dali toye. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Vegans can avoid the ghee altogether by substituting it with an equal measure of coconut oil.
It is not essential to soak the dal if you can get organic produce, thereby saving time. Soaking helps to get rid of a large amount of residual pesticides or food colors. Soaking also helps to make the dal softer.